The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-11-02

body of men and lets the soul look after itself,
and there is a legislative religion that pro-
poses to rectify all wrongs by enactment OF
better laws, and there is an aesthetic re!:S
that by rules of exquisite taste would Lift the
heart out of its deformtieS and religions OF
all sorts, religions by the peck, rengiGns
by the square foot, and religions by
the ton-all Of them devices Of the devil that
would take the heart away from the only re-
ligion that will ever effect anything for the
human race, and that is the straight up and
down religion written in the book, which be-
gins with Genesis and ends with Revelation,
the religion of the skies, the old religion, the
God.given religion, the everlasting religion,
which says: "Love God above all and your
neighbor as yourself" All religions but this
one begin at the wrong end and in the wrong
place. The Bible religion demands that
we first get right with God. 1t be-
gins at the top and measures down, "hlle
the other religions begin at the bottom and
try to measure up They stand at the foot
of the wall up to their knees in the mud of
human theory and speculation, and have
plummet and string tied fast to 1t. And
they throw the plummet this way and break
head there, end they throw plummet an
other way and break head there, and
then they throw it up, and it comes down
upon their own pate. Fools! Why Will
you stand at the foot OF the wall measur-
ing up when you ought to stand at
the TOD measuring down? A few days ago
+ was in the country, thirsty after
long walk. And came in, and my
! child was blowing soap bubbles, and
they rolled out of the cup, blue, and gold.
aud green, and sparkling, ani beautiful, and
orbicular, and in 50 small a space never saw
more splendor concentrated But she blew
once too often and all the glory vanished into
suds. Then l turned and took glass of
plain water and was refreshed. And so Tar
as soul thirst is concerned, l put against al.
the glowing, glittering soap bubbles OF
worldly reform and human speculation enc
draught from the fountain from under the
| throne of God, clear as crystal. Glory to
| God for the religion that drops from above,
not coming up from beneath! "And the Lord
said unto me- Amos, what seest thou: and l
said, A plumb-line."
I want you to notice this fact, that when a
man gives up the straight up and down re-
! ion, it is generally to suit his sins. You first
hear Of his change of religion, and then you
hear Of some swindle he has practiced IN Col.
orado mining stock, telling some one If he will
put in S10,0 900 he can take out SlOo,OOO, or ne
has sacrificed his chastity, or plunged into IT.
re1nediable worldliness. His sins are so broad
he has to broaden his religion, and he becomes
as broad as temptation, as broad as the
souls darkness, as broad as hell They
want religion that will allow them to keep
their sins, and then at death say to them:
"Well done, good and faithful servant" and
tells them: "All is well, for there is no hell
What glorious heaven they hold before US!
| Come let us 20 in and see it. There is Herod
and all the babes he massacred. There Is
Charles Guiteau, and Jim Fisk. and Robes
pierre. the friend of the French gulllotine,
and all the liars, thieves, house burners, gar
rioters. pickpockets and libertines of all the
centuries. They have all got crowns, ami
thrones, and harps and scepters, and when
they chant they sing: Thanksgiving, and
honor, and glory, and power to the broad re-
| ligion that let us all into heaven without re-
pentance and faith in those disgraceful dog
mas Of ecclesiastical old fogyism-"
My text gives me grand opportunity OF
saying a useful word to all young men who
are now forming habits for lifetime. Of
what use to stonemaSon or brlcklayer IS
plumb line? Why not build the wall by the
unaided eye and hand! Because they are in
sufficient, because if there be a DETECTION IN
the wall it cannot further on be corrected:
Because by the law Of gravitatlon: a wall
nlust be straight in order to be symmetrlca!
and safe A young man is in danger. of
getting defect in his wall of character that
may never be corrected. One OF the best
friends ! ever had died Of delirium tremens
at 60 years of age. though he had not since
81 wears Of age-before which he had been
dissipated- touched intoxicating liquor until
that particular carousal that took him OF.
Not feeling well in street on hot summer
day he stepped into drug store, just as you
and would have done, and asked for dose
of something to make him feel better. And
there was alcohol in the dose, and
that one drop aroused the old appe,,
tite, and he entered the first liquor store. and
stayed there until thoroughly under the
power of rum. He entered his home a raving
maniac, his wife and daughters fleeing from
his presence, until he was taken to the city
hospital to die The combustible material of
early habit had lain quiet nearly forty years,
and that one spark ignited the confagatfon.
Remember that the wall may be one hundred
feet high, and yet a detection one foot
from the foundation affects the entire struct-
ure. And if you live 100 years, and do right
the last eighty years, you may, nevertheless,
do something at twenty years OF age that WILL
damage all your earthly existence. AL you
who have built houses for yourselves or for
others, am I not right in saying to these
young men, you cannot build a wall so high
as to be INDEPENDENT of the character
Of its foundations? A man before thirty years
of age may commit enough sin to last him q
lifetime A cat that has killed one pigeon
cannot be cured. Keep it from killing the
first pigeon. Now, John, or George, OF
Charles or William, Or Alexander, OF An
drew, or Henry, OF whatever be your Chris
tian name or surname, say here and now
t'No wild oats for me, no cigars or cigarettes
for me. no wine or beer for me, no nasty
stories for me- no Sunday sprees for me-.
am going to start right and Keep on r1ght
God help me, for am very weak. From th'
throne of eternal Righteousness let down tt
me the principles by which l can be guided
in building everything from foundation t<
capssone. Lord Col. by the wounded hanc
of Christ hrow me pllnb lne!.
Lord Nelson's general direction when go ne
into naval battle was, no man can 90 wrong
that places his ship close alongside that of The
enemy NV friend, you will never do wrong
if YOU will keep your life close alongside The
Ten Commandments. Do right, and you cal
be as brave as Maria Theresa, WHO rode VI
the Hill Defiance. and shook her swo: d at tn,
four corners of the earth.
But" YOU say. You shut us young tolH:
out from all fun" Oh. no: like fun. be
lieve in fun. have had lots of it in my
time. But have not had to go into paths o.
sin to find it. No credit to me, but bscaus'
of an extraordinary parental example
and influence l was kept from outward
tranrressions, though my heart was bac
enough and desperately wicked have had
fun illimils Bile, though I never swore one
oath, and never gamb!ed for so much as the
value OF pin. and never saw the inside of a
haunt of sin save as when, ten years ago
with commissioner of police and a detective
and two elders of my church, | explored these
cities by midnight, not out Of curiosity, but
that I might in pulpit discourse set before
the people the poverty and the horrors OF un-
oitv 1ifo Vet thoNoh I never was
intoxicated for an instant, and never com
.,.;.+al o,,a ant Of disturbances rastra ined